Taking One For The Team
by hulklinging
Summary: It takes a weird person to look at a situation and think 'this will be fixed if I get a fake boyfriend.' Tommy is a little weird.
1. Chapter 1

Tommy walks up to him, and Teddy knows trouble when he sees it. That look on Tommy's face screams trouble.

"Altman!"

He's right in front of him, there's no need to shout. Although maybe this has less to do with Teddy hearing, and more to do with the rest of the locker room, who are all currently staring at them.

"Can I talk to you outside for a second?"

"Uh, sure?" Him and Tommy had never actually talked. The boy is new this year, and ever since Teddy came out halfway through junior year, he hasn't been the most social of teammates. He's too good a player for anyone to drive him off the team, but they make sure he knows he's no longer welcome, and that includes being kept away from any corruptible junior transfer students.

Until they march up to him and ask for a private talk.

"Watch your ass, Shepherd!" shouts Greg, who was at one point Teddy's best friend. Tommy laughs, but it's very obviously fake, and there's a tense anger in the set of his jaw.

"Sure, yeah," he responds, standing to follow Tommy out of the locker room. As soon as the door closes, Tommy grabs his arm and pulls him close.

"Okay, Altman, I have a favour to ask."

He talks at a whisper, almost too quick for Teddy to follow.

"Okay…?" He has no idea what it could be about, but he'll at least hear the boy out. "I'm not saying I'll do it, but you can ask."

"Cool." Tommy takes a deep breath, like he's steeling himself. "I need you to be my boyfriend."

That. "What?" Teddy didn't expect this, not in a million years. The boy is cute, though. But not- He can't be-

Tommy is still talking. "Not my actual boyfriend. Just… pretend for a bit."

"Why?" This makes no sense. Teddy wonders what kind of prank this is, who must be listening in. He feels trapped, he expects shit from Greg and his buddies but didn't think that Tommy had fallen in with them.

Tommy scowls. "Does it matter?"

Teddy pulls his arm away with a little more force than necessary. "Yes?" Obviously. "If this is a prank, or. Or a joke, or some attempt to prove yourself to the team-"

That anger is back in Tommy's eyes. "No, nothing like that. Fuck those guys."

He's surprised by the violence in Tommy's voice. He hadn't noticed the other guys harassing Tommy, or anything, so where did that come from? Still, he's not convinced.

"Then why?"

"Because… It's just really important, okay? It's to help a friend."

"You need a boyfriend to do that?"

He stares at Teddy with determined eyes. "I need people to think I'm gay to help a friend, yes."

The more Tommy says, the more Teddy wants to know. Tommy must see that reflected in his expression somehow, because he takes a step back, running one hand through his hair like he wants to pull it out.

"Okay, fine." It takes him a moment to find the right words, apparently. Teddy waits. "So there's this… thing. That was pretty gay. And someone found it, and thinks it belongs to this friend. And he… he gets enough shit, you know? If he has this get out, too… I just don't want him doing anything drastic, right?"

Teddy thinks about last year, going days without talking to any classmates because nothing felt safe. Drastic. Right.

"So you're gonna pretend this… gay thing was yours?"

Tommy's nodding. "Yeah. I figure that's better, since I'm on a school team and I have a few friends, it can't be as bad for me as it would be for him."

"This is… a big thing." Teddy's not sure Tommy gets that. "You've still got two years here. You really want to deal with it like this? It will be…" He tries to think of a way to say it without sounding overly dramatic. "It's not nice."

"That warning mean you'll do it?"

There's hope in Tommy's eyes, and for a moment Teddy wants to press, ask who he's covering for. But no. He doesn't want to ask Tommy to out his friend, that's not right. But his curiosity grows nonetheless. Somewhere in this school is someone like him. He's not as alone as he thought.

"I'll do it."

"Yes!" Tommy's face splits into a huge grin. "Just for a few weeks, even." There's excitement in the other boy's movements, now that he has that yes. "Some hand holding, some PDA-"

The door to the locker room opens, and Tommy takes a quick step forward, the space between them shrinking to inches. He doesn't seem to know what to do past that, and really they need to talk about boundaries and limits, but Teddy hears Greg's voice and moves on instinct.

"I like you too, Tommy," he mutters, and presses a quick kiss to the corner of Tommy's mouth.

There's a silence that can't be anything good, but they get their teammate's attention, which is what they want, right? Tommy is smirking, even as he reaches for Teddy's hand and holds it tight.

"Shit," says Kessler, who must have been right behind Greg. "What the fuck?"

There's a dark anger in Greg's voice, one that sounds dangerous. "That's the problem with these freaks." He's being louder than he needs to be on purpose, and Teddy's sure that the rest of the team, still in the locker room, can hear his every word. "If you let them get comfortable, they multiply."

There's a threat in there, one that makes Teddy's blood run cold. But Tommy's hand is warm, so Teddy holds on for dear life, and smiles down at the other boy.

"Walk me to lunch?"

They stride past their teammates like they don't even see them, and Teddy remembers to keep his head held high, Tommy's hand tight in his own.

And just like that, Teddy has his first boyfriend.


	2. Chapter 2

**im basically a political lesbian** is the text his brother sends him, right before lunch on a Tuesday. Billy stares at it, and the only meaning he can pull from it is that Tommy has gone and done something stupid, again. And if he has, it's probably Billy's fault.

He hears loud voices and grabs what he needs out of his locker, trying to move fast enough to avoid the boys approaching. Too slow, of course.

What feels like an elbow hits him in the square of his back, and he slams forward, hip catching the side of his locker hard enough to bruise. He's lucky his locker was still open, otherwise he might have hit his head too. He doesn't see who does it, and no one says anything. There's not even any laughter, and really, that's worse than than the snickered insults. Like this, it shows that bullying him has gone beyond sport and become an instinct. Birds fly, fish swim, and Billy Kaplan gets hit.

 _That is melodramatic, even for you,_ he tells himself, and shuts his locker. Time to see what his brother's done now.

Tommy is sitting with that boy from his senior History class, the one Billy pretends he's not staring at. Teddy Altman. Tommy is holding Teddy Altman's hand. He stops in his track, staring, until Tommy notices him.

"Billy!"

Tommy's gesturing him over, and Billy can feel his cheeks heart. Teddy turns to look, so there's no way for him to politely refuse Tommy's waved invitation.

"Hey," Billy mumbles, sliding into an empty seat across from them. There are a few to choose from. People like Tommy okay, but he sits with Billy, so at lunch he is given the same social bubble, the same unwanted status.

"Hey yourself, little bro," Tommy responds with a grin. Billy retaliates by stealing one of his twin's fries. He doesn't feel like braving the lunch line today. "Have you met Teddy? He's on the basketball team with me." And Tommy leans against the bigger boy, totally comfortable. Like it's something he does every day, cuddle up with boys at school. Except it's not. Just last week, Tommy had assured Billy that he had no plans to join the gay brigade. Billy feels like he's stumbled into a Punk'd episode or something.

Maybe the important word in Tommy's promise is 'gay'. Could his brother be bi? Maybe. Could he keep a secret from Billy? Nope. Not at all. Being pranked in some way is much more likely.

Teddy sticks out his hand. The one not currently occupied with his brother's hand.

"Hey, nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Billy echoes. "Same." He thinks he does a pretty good job of pretending he doesn't spend every History class staring at the back of this boy's head.

Tommy is giving him a weird look. Like he's trying to say something without words. The secret twin language is pretty bullshit, at least for them, but Billy is pretty good at reading his brother's facial expressions. He thinks back to the text Tommy sent him, and looks back at their clasped hands.

This is definitely his fault.

"I just remembered I forgot to do some homework," he lies. Tommy, who can always tell when he's lying, frowns.

"Well, you can do it here if you-"

Billy shakes his head. "No, it's back in my locker. I better go."

"But-" Tommy's half out of his seat now. "But you didn't even eat-"

"Not hungry gotta go bye."

He could never outrun Tommy, but Tommy's bound to the table by Teddy's hand. Billy flees.

He does go back to his locker, uses the bustle at lunch to get what he needs for the next few classes. Then he heads towards the library, and the lesser-used washrooms there. There's a scrawled 'fag' on the door of one of the stalls but no other hostility.

"Ugh."

The voice comes from behind him as he's washing his hands. He freezes, which is a shit fear response, who came up with that one, huh? The boy must have already been in here when he came in, and he's staring at the graffiti disdainfully. "Can't people at least be creative with their hate?"

Billy blinks. That was not what he was expecting to hear. He turns around and steps towards the exit, just in case he's misreading the guy's tone. "They can't even handle the idea of someone not being straight, I don't think creativity is a skill homophobes covet."

A surprised snort of laughter escapes the stranger. Billy's trying to remember if he's seen him around before. He's tall, dark, and holds himself with a confidence that brings a soldier to mind. Billy's pretty sure he would have remembered someone like him, if they had met before.

The guy gives him a nod. "You're probably correct."

There's a beat. Bathroom conversations are so awkward. Billy gives his new bathroom buddy a halfhearted wave, and makes a hasty exit for the second time today.

With the end of lunch bell, Billy's day starts to normalize. No brothers holding hands with boys, no bathroom dialogue. Just math, then history, then skip on home while Tommy's tied up with detention, then retreat to the safety of his room before this day gets any stranger.

God, he's such a loser. Oh well.

Math passes by without incident, and History looks to be going the same, at first. They're doing a reading on media in response to World War Two, and since Billy is kind of obsessive when it comes to his interests, he's already read a lot of similar stuff on the subject. Comics, after all, were part of that reactionary media. He's daydreaming more than anything, wondering if any of his friends will be online when he gets home. Being on the east coast means he's usually one of the first ones home, but sometimes someone else beats him to it.

Despite what his brother says, he does have friends. They just all happen to live far away. Logically, Billy knows that there must be other queer kids at his school, that they're all just as far in the closet as he is. But that doesn't help him feel any less alone. He found his friends through an online support group, and although the support group didn't really stick, the friends he met there did. He's known most of them for almost two years now, and they've helped each other through moves, through coming out to family and friends, through first dates and breakups and everything in between. They even know about the bullying he has to deal with. He tells them more than he tells Tommy. All they can do is support him. Tommy can (and will) try to defend him, and get in trouble because of it.

He doesn't really know what he'd do without them.

He hasn't filled them in on the latest crisis, though, the letter falling out of his and Tommy's shared locker and the guy who picked it up. He should, he knows they'll be full of good advice. It just makes him feel like such an idiot, making a mistake like that.

He sneaks a peek at the teacher, who is very absorbed in what is probably a game of solitaire on his computer, and pulls out his phone.

 **This day feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone to anyone else?** he types into their always-open group chat. **Today is bizarre.**

 **whats up?** That's Vic. Vic is up in Ontario somewhere, same timezone as him. Billy smiles at Vic's **u ok?**

 **Yeah, just odd stuff. Not necessarily bad?**

 **well i got out of gym again so im here if u need to talk ok**

There's something that keeps Vic out of P.E. more often than not, but the boy never mentions specifics, and Billy doesn't pry. One of the support group's initial rules was no pictures of yourself, in the interest of safety and anonymity, and although they're really just a bunch of friends with a group chat on skype, now, most of them had decided that was one rule they wanted to keep. Billy was curious, and still is, but he gets it. He's known these people for so long, knows their likes and dislikes just as well as his own. Risking upsetting that somehow by showing each other what they look like? Not worth it. Even if that worry is a ridiculous one.

("What if they don't like me?" is such a silly question, after two years, but he can't help it. So no selfies for him)

 **History's pretty boring today, might take you up on that.**

There's the sound of the door closing, and the feel of the classroom changes. People start talking louder, chairs scrape as people get up and move around. Billy looks up to see that the teacher has gone off somewhere. He does this sometimes. He doesn't bother moving, but he does pull his phone out from under the desk, for more convenient distractions.

"Hey! I didn't know you were in this class."

Teddy is standing over his desk, smiling down at him, and he really is radiant. Billy makes a half-hearted attempt to not compare him with any sun gods, but really they're in History class. It's a wasted effort. Teddy would look comfortable with the Greek Pantheon, in place of Apollo, sun in his hair. He would also suit Norse myth, although it's hard to imagine the boy covered in blood and violence, like the Norse are so found of.

Out loud, he just says "Oh, yeah. I'm taking it a year early."

"Cool," says Teddy. He seems to mean it. "History's awesome."

"It's too bad our teacher doesn't agree with you."

That gets Teddy's polite grin to twist into something more genuine, and he chuckles. "True enough." He grabs a chair and sits down across from Billy, who tucks his phone away again on instinct, not wanting Teddy to see his conversation. Nevermind that they always keep the chat name something generic like 'project planning', just in case some parental goes snooping, and also the fact that Teddy apparently spent lunch holding hands with his brother. He's made too many mistakes lately. Caution is something he could do with more of.

"Listen, I'm sorry if lunch was awkward..."

Billy shakes his head, maybe a little too quickly. "No, it's not- it's just Tommy. Being Tommy. Sorry I ran off."

"Okay." Teddy bites his lip, and if that's something he does when he's thinking, Billy's calling foul. That is simply unacceptable. "And we didn't make you uncomfortable, or anything...?"

Billy stares at him. Is this really happening? This... There is no way today is real. This must be some alternate dimension.

"No, no, nothing like that."

Teddy looks relieved. He goes to talk again, but whatever he was trying to say is drowned out by a shout.

"Hey, faggot!"

Both Billy and Teddy flinch. Billy can see one of their classmates coming over, something in his hand. Billy tenses, and Teddy turns to see what's coming. The whole class is staring.

Billy knows whatever is in his fists is coming to him, until the moment it isn't. The classmate, some asshole whose names starts with a c or an s, stops right in front of them, lifts a hand, and offers Teddy the crumpled piece of paper.

"Looks like they're rounding all you freaks up," he sneers. "Maybe you and your little boyfriend can go together."

Teddy doesn't look at the paper even as he takes it and drops it on Billy's desk. He just stares at the boy as he stands up. He's the taller of the two, solid and strong. "Excuse me?"

The guy doesn't back down. "You heard me, homo. Know why they have to make places for people like you? Because no one wants you around the rest of us."

"It's funny." Teddy sounds calm, but Billy can see him shaking. Billy hopes it's in anger, and not fear. Billy wonders if this was also part of Tommy's plan. His brother probably didn't even consider this, too busy shooting for some goal to think about consequences. This is the problem with impulsive plans. Sometimes, people get hurt, and it isn't always the people with the bad ideas.

Teddy takes a steadying breath, and continues. "I'm just as gay as I was last week, you had no problem asking me for the homework questions then."

S-or-C hisses. "That was before you and your fuckbuddy decided to shove your sickness in everyone else's faces!"

Now Teddy isn't the only one shaking. Billy feels distant, knows that's a bad sign. He pinces an arm and tries to stay present, tries to remember to breathe.

Teddy's voice is sounding quite strained now. "You going to keep insulting my boyfriend?"

CorS smirks. "You going to stop me?"

Teddy's fists clench... and release. He shakes his head.

"You're not worth it."

This sours CS's mood. "Fine. Guess that answers the question of who the bitch is. Surprising, since Shepherd looks like such a pussy-"

Billy's been at the end of his rope for too long. Something in him snaps.

"Hey," his voice is darker than he's used to. "That's my brother."

He doesn't remember standing up. What he does remember is the bruise from his locker this morning. What he does remember is Tommy over the summer, teaching him how to punch.

The teacher comes back just in time to see Billy hit the guy.

It's his first time (hitting back), so he doesn't get a suspension. He does get to join Tommy in detention after school, for the rest of the week.

When Tommy sees him, he's already heard the story, or some version of it. He greets him with an approving fist bump, left handed because Billy's knuckles are already starting to swell.

It isn't until halfway through detention that he remembers he grabbed the piece of paper that started it all, before he was escorted the the office. He pulls it out, and his eyes widen.

It's a poster advertising a Gay Straight Alliance some students are trying to start up. There's an artfully graffiti'd penis across it, but it still fills Billy with a sick kind of hope. The weirdness of the day feels suddenly worth it. He smooths the poster out as best as he can, then tucks it into his notebook. The first meeting is Friday, at lunch.

He can do that.


	3. Chapter 3

Billy walks into the GSA's first meeting with Tommy at his side.

It's strange, because he's being daydreaming about this for ages. Wishing he was brave enough to start such a group at his school. And now someone's gone and done it, and people probably think he's there to support his brother.

His life has gotten so complicated, lately.

"Is your boyfriend coming?"

Tommy shrugs. "No idea. Shit, that's something I should know, huh?"

Stuff like this has been happening all week, ever since they started dating, and it makes Billy's head hurt, more so than the usual contact headache he gets from his brother's antics.

Aside from that first text, Tommy has done nothing to suggest that his relationship is anything but real. He'd taken Billy's lecture about bringing other people into their messes with a shrug and a smirk, and Teddy had joined them every day for lunch. Getting to know the guy has turned Billy's casual History staring into a real crush, and Teddy seems totally oblivious to it, and so kind. They're partnered up for a project in that class, and Billy's just hoping to get through it.

Crushing on his brother's maybe-fake boyfriend isn't end of the world, but it's a lot easier to deal with than how the relationship's gone and changed how the rest of the school treats him. Well, the relationship plus him punching someone in the face.

 **Billy**  
it's weird because people are all ignoring him and eyeing me like I'm dangerous or something.

 **Billy**  
It's literally backwards. It's like freaky friday, but I got to keep my hair.

 **Karolina**  
I can't believe you're such a seasoned criminal, now.

 **Grey**  
Maybe it's opposite day.

 **Brandon**  
Can't believe you're writing your own fanfics now. Loser.

 **Billy**  
If I was writing this, I'd have given myself a boyfriend.

 **Karolina**  
Maybe it's opposite life?

 **Vic**  
have u been the straight twin all along?

 **Billy**  
you caught me!

 **Brandon**  
knew you were a fake. no self respecting gay boy has Steve Rogers as his celebrity crush.

 **Billy**  
now you've taken this too far.

The point is that everything is off, like he really has ended up in some alternate reality.

Tommy nudges his shoulder. "Come on," he mutters. Now that he's here, the cocky smile is gone, and he just looks uncomfortable. Billy guesses that there's a big difference between pretending you're gay to stir up the homophobes and keeping up the pretence with a bunch of allies and other gay kids.

Or, maybe not a bunch. Aside from the two of them, there are exactly three people in the classroom. Billy is shocked to see that guy from the bathroom the other day. He gives him an awkward nod of recognition, but the guy's too busy watching a blonde girl clear off the whiteboard and write 'Welcome, QSA!' in very nice bubble letters.

Oh god, What if the group is run by allies? What if they spend the whole time talking about what they can do for 'those poor gays' or something?

Immediately after thinking this, Billy wants to smack himself. Allies are important, he knows that, he's got his brother at his side as physical proof of that. Also, bi people exist. Just because this guy's making eyes at the blonde doesn't mean he's straight.

Aside from the blonde and the bathroom guy, there's a kid with big headphones hunched over a math textbook. Billy's not sure they're even here on purpose. Actually, he's not even sure if they're awake.

The blonde turns and beams at them. "Oh, more people! Excellent, welcome!"

Billy blinks, replays what she just said. His memory flashes back to earlier today, where Karolina tweeted a cryptic 'Here goes nothing!' this morning. He replays the girl's words again.

"Oh my god?" he says out loud.

The girl freezes. "Excuse me?"

That excuse me is so familiar, familiar like long nights on skype, like sometimes one of the only voices he can stand to hear.

"Oh my god?" His voice is peaking, in danger of going squeaky.

Karolina - because he's almost positive that's who this is - takes a step forward.

"...Billy?" she says, because his life is too weird right now.

"This isn't happening." It is, but his brain is struggling to protest. "This is, this is so weird-"

Karolina laughs, pure delight, and moves to pull him into a tight hug.

"Alternate universe, right?" She kisses his cheek, and it doesn't even feel weird. He laughs with her, hugging her like she'll disappear if he lets go, like a whole body pinch just to make sure he's not dreaming. This is like a dream, like lots of the dreams he's had in the years since meeting all of his best friends and realizing they were spread out across the country.

Tommy, true to form, ruins the moment.

"Thought this was supposed to be a gay club," he observes, falsely scandalized. "This is all feeling very hetero to me."

Karolina is literal rainbows, though, and her only reaction to Tommy is to release Billy in favour of pulling his brother into an embrace, too.

"Tommy! It is so nice to finally meet you."

Tommy looks very thrown, although that's really his default expression when anyone touches him. "I didn't know you told strangers on the internet about me, Billy. That's not very world wide web wise."

Billy shrugs. His face is starting to hurt from all the smiling he's doing, but he can't help it. Karolina's here, in front of him. His whole body feels like it's buzzing,

"What happened to California?"

Her face falls a little. "I told you I was moving."

"Yeah, but we all thought you were moving across the city or something. Not..." Billy waves his hands helplessly, and Karolina's all smiles again.

"Okay, fair. I might have neglected to mention that."

Billy is trying to remember if she mentioned why she was moving, but nothing is coming to mind, and Karolina has released Tommy in order to pull the bathroom boy over.

"Oh! This is Xavi! We've known each other since we were in diapers."

The boy comes to stand by Karolina, looking more nervous than Billy thought he warranted, but his handshake is firm without any of the test-your-strength nonsense guys sometimes go for, and when Billy smiles, he gets a small smile back.

"Xav, this is Billy! From the Rainbow Brigade."

Which is a ridiculous name that they came up with when they split from the more official support group, one they mostly use as a joke within the chat. Hearing it out loud just makes Billy's heart feel like it's going to burst, though.

"I remember," Xavi (Xav?) says in a low voice, full of fondness. "You only talk to them every day."

Karolina laughs, and pulls Billy into another hug. He doesn't want to let her go, if he's being honest with himself. He's glad Karolina seems to feel the same way.

"Ah, we have so much to talk about! I knew you were in New York, but I never thought... well, that's the universe for you, isn't it? I guess it thought we deserved something good." She pulls away, but her hand lingers on his arm, a point of focus and contact that keeps Billy feeling grounded, the same effect she's always had on him, even when she was just words on a screen. "Right now though, I should probably run this meeting. Are you still grounded?"

Technically, yes, but he doesn't think his mom will mind if he brings Karolina over. His mother sometimes expresses her concern over his lacking social life, but she has always been supportive of his online friends. And Billy has chatted about them enough that she sometimes says hi to the group through him or asks how everyone is doing by name. She would be delighted to meet Karolina in person, he's sure.

"I'm sure you could come over. If she protests, we can always say Tommy invited you."

"I have a date after school," says Tommy. Tommy has such a bad habit of dropping bombs like that with no warning, while completely overreacting to simple things (the cinnamon cracker incident comes to mind). It shouldn't throw Billy off as much as he does, but he still hasn't managed to wrap his brain around this relationship. He had no idea it was something that extended past the school grounds. Maybe it really is real.

"Perfect! I'll have Billy all to myself, then." Karolina claps her hands. "Meeting! Sorry! Okay!" She goes to stand by the board, and the person in the corner finally looks up and pulls off their headphones. They've got a jean jacket with painted stars and stripes on it, and curly hair shaved short on one side and large and poofy on the other. They look very cool and very intimidating. Tommy grabs a chair and shoves it at Billy, probably because he knows Billy will awkwardly stand the whole time otherwise. He opts out of a chair for himself and instead perches on a desk, just because he can. Xavi sits on a chair off to the side, and Karolina stands in front of them, practically glowing with happiness as she takes them all in.

"Welcome to the first meeting of the Queer-Straight Alliance! This is just the temporary name, we can come up with something more original as a group, I thought. First thing's first, this is a safe place, and the things we discuss in here should stay in here, okay?" No protests are made, so she continues on. "My idea is that this is half safe place, half place for making change, but that's another thing we can discuss as a group. Whether we want our goals to be more about making sure our members feel safe, or making the school safer for the queer students as a whole... it's up to us, and how much we want to put ourselves out there! I also want to make sure everyone's identities in here are respected, so I thought the best way to start the meeting would be a name and pronoun circle? I'm Karolina Dean, and I use she/her pronouns!" She turns to the headphones kid with an encouraging grin.

"America, she/her pronouns," says headphone kid. There's caution in how she holds her body, but a confidence, too. Billy envies that, how even just sitting there she looks so sure of herself.

"Billy, he/him."

"I'm Tommy," says his brother, and kinda looks at him for confirmation as he goes "He/him?" Billy's not sure how much Tommy actually knows about trans folk and alternate pronouns, and he makes a mental note to shoot some resources his way.

"Xavi." is next. After a long pause, he mutters "he/him." He sounds, if possible, less sure than Tommy. Billy doesn't think it's for the same reason, but it's not his business.

"Great!" Karolina claps her hands. A nervous tic, she had mentioned to Billy once. Clapping and heightened cheerfulness. He tries to convey with his entire body thoughts like 'you're doing great' and hopes that it helps. "Now, I was thinking we could have a bit of a discussion about what everyone wants to see from this-"

The door bangs open, and a rather frazzled looking Teddy Altman enters the room. He's got only one earbud in, his bag is hanging open, and his cheeks are bright red.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, I forgot!"

Karolina's eyes flash over to meet his for just a second, but really that's all she needs. Billy's terrible crush must be obvious on his face, because there's definitely a knowing tilt to her smile as she gestures for him to come sit down.

"No worries at all! Come on in."

Teddy comes and sits by Tommy, of course, and Billy's pretty sure they're holding hands. Teddy's chest is straining a little against his T-shirt, Billy's ears are burning, America mutters something that sounds like 'sickening', and Karolina looks like Christmas has come early and the Christmas feast is entirely vegan.

Billy had never really agreed with the saying 'too much of a good thing', but he does now. Vehemently. And it's sitting a few feet to his left, and his name is Teddy Altman.

Maybe instead of having Karolina over after school, he'll just pack up everything and move somewhere else entirely. Somewhere remote, where there's no pretty blondes or best friends who suddenly have the power to tease him in real life as well as online, or brothers that suddenly aren't straight and also somehow are dating the boy of Billy's dreams.

Maybe America wants to come too. She looks properly unimpressed with Teddy's interest. Maybe she will teach him how to be cool and unruffled by the trials of the world. She also looks like she could fight off any wild animals that they might find in somewhere remote enough to suit his interests.

He's spacing out instead of listening to the conversation, but there's now a big spiderweb on the board, what they wanna see from the group, what they can do to make this school better, what they can do to encourage other people to join. Billy checks back into the conversation with a sigh. His problem really isn't his proximity to civilization. His problem is that everyone in his life is so much braver than he is.

Something to work on, maybe. He puts up his hand, and joins in on the conversation. One tiny, pathetic step at a time.


	4. Chapter 4

The GSA goes surprisingly well.

He'd almost chickened out, but he thought about Billy's clenched fist and decided as long as he's pretending to be brave, he might as well aim high.

He comes in late, doesn't talk much, but is still astonished by how… good it feels. Sitting with his boyfriend, even if they're only pretending. Listening as they talk about what they want to see in the school, what they can do to make it a better place for people like them.

He glances over past Tommy to Billy and sees a fierce kind of determination on his face. For a second, Teddy thinks that maybe he gets why Tommy did this in the first place.

Billy looks over at him and Teddy's cheeks go bright red at being caught staring. Billy frowns, and Teddy looks away again. _You're projecting_ , he tells himself, and keeps his eyes trained on Karolina for the rest of the meeting.

"Thanks for coming," Tommy mutters, afterwards. "You didn't have to. I forgot to even ask you about it."

Teddy shrugs. Tommy's hand feels comfortable in his, after a few weeks of getting used to it. He had reached for it almost instinctively, once the meeting had ended. He's walking Tommy back to his locker, because that is what a good boyfriend does, especially when walks to said locker are now filled with such obstacles as glares, whispers, and the occasional wayward foot looking to trip.

Teddy's getting used to this as well, which is a thought so straight up depressing that he banishes it the moment he thinks it.

"It's fine." Teddy laughs, that easy laugh that means he's about to be self-deprecating. "It's something I always hoped I'd be brave enough to show up at, if the opportunity came up. Being a good boyfriend was just a bonus."

"Oh. Right." Tommy drops his hand. It's just so he can open his locker. Teddy knows that, watches him do it and tells himself that the speed in which Tommy dropped his hand when he was reminded of Teddy's own queerness shouldn't sting. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget this isn't just-"

Just a statement. Just a smoke screen.

"No worries, it happens." It doesn't, because this doesn't happen. Because people don't do this. But it is happening, and they are doing this, so that's that. "I'll see you later, okay? I'll text you."

There might be something that looks uncomfortably like pity in Tommy's eyes, but Teddy wouldn't know. He leaves before Tommy has the chance to turn around to face him.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. A way to shut the boys in the locker room up. A way to stop himself from thinking about Greg, and it's working. Walking into practice with Tommy's shoulder brushing his own has somehow made the locker room a silent affaire. No one wants to meet their eyes, and yet they're playing too well on the court to be ignored.

Their first game after they became official, Kessler's elbow had somehow ended up in Tommy's ribs. The whispered 'fucking fairy' as Tommy went down carried better than Kessler had accounted for, and he's now benched for two weeks. The support from Coach had been surprising given how he had never said anything before. But Teddy supposes there's a big difference between what's thrown around during practice amax what happens in front of a full gym and a visiting team.

Tommy had gotten up with an offered hand from one of their opponents, triumph on his face. After the game, the guy had approached him with a handshake that lasted longer than most. Teddy hadn't heard what the guy had said, but he heard Tommy's response.

"Flattered, but I'm taken. The gorgeous blonde forward, yeah." He jerked his head in Teddy's direction.

He shouldn't be surprised that Tommy makes getting strange boys' numbers look as easy as all the other impossible things he takes in stride. He's all sharp angles and a dangerous smile. Freshman Teddy, who coveted that kind of devil-may-care confidence, would have sighed over him too.

Now, his tastes are… Well, he doesn't know. Since coming out (since Greg), he's kind of over the whole feelings thing.

Or, he was.

In pretending to date him, he can't help but notice how attractive he finds Tommy. Physically, that is. And even though his personality is no longer what sends his heart racing, he hopes they can stay friends after their little social experiment runs its course. How long will that be? Teddy has no idea if Tommy's getting the desired result, although the GSA must be a good sign.

One week, the subject somehow turns to washrooms. Teddy watches an unusually bold Billy dive into it, sees that same energy in him from when he punched that guy, or when Tommy came to him with his ingenious plan. it's a good look on Billy, passion making his movements large as he forgets to be cautious of the space he takes up. The conversation also brings out a new side of Xavi, of all people, and Karolina watches with no small amount of pride as the two bring up various schools that have a designated gender neutral washroom, jumping around enough that Teddy gets more than a little lost. America's taking notes, thankfully, her excitement more subdued but no less bright.

"I don't even think about that shit!" Tommy confesses over dinner. They're on one of their dates, which means they hang out at Teddy's after school. Teddy's got less in the way of siblings and nosy parents, and last week Tommy had brought over pizza, so this week Teddy's making pasta while Tommy sits on his counter and rambles.

"Well it's easy enough to not think about it, if it don't affect you.." Teddy is going for comforting, but he must have missed the mark, because Tommy just groans.

"Isn't that kind of fucked up, though? Like, here we are. Doing- this." A flapping gesture to summarize the space between them. "I should know about this. And you don't seem surprised by any of it!"

Teddy hums, something one note and noncommittal. He pretends that the jar of sauce he's trying to open is the most interesting thing he's ever seen.

"I mean, I guess so."

He'd looked it up because for a bit there he thought it did affect him. BEcause most days he looks in the mirror and likes the shapes his body makes, the ones he has worked so hard for. It's just that sometimes…

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He doesn't want to talk about this with Tommy. Even if he did, he doesn't know how to put it in words. But there's curiosity in TOmmy's eyes, and he knows the boy well enough to know it won't go away easily.

A sigh. "It means I was a confused kid who looked into all my options, okay?"

It comes off harsher than he means it to. Dammit. He's just tired, and he's pretty sure he nearly bruised a rib at practice (a lot of accidental elbows, lately) and he's got a shitton of homework to do, and this fucking jar of sauce won't-

Hands a little smaller than his own take the jar from him, and he hears the 'pop' of it finally opening. He stares down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists as he fights to keep his breathing even.

"Hey, do you want to go sit down, dude?" Tommy's voice is casual, which is good. Teddy couldn't handle any kind of gentle concern from him right now. "I'll finish the food."

"It's my kitchen," Teddy gets out.

"I'm sure I can find the bowls, it's not that big."

The apartment he and his mother share has a tiny galley kitchen, which is whyTommy had situated himself on a counter. Teddy smiles in sprite of himself at the weak attempt at humor, and follows Tommy's advice. He collapses into his worn couch and counts breathes until they no longer feel like he has to fight for each one.

Just as he's starting to feel like he's back on solid ground, a bowl of pasta is shoved into his hands.

"Thanks." He doesn't want to look up. He'd feel bad enough making an actual boyfriend deal with this. This is much more than what Tommy signed up for. "Sorry about that."

Tommy sits on the far end of the couch with a theatrical sigh. "Man, it's fine. Billy gets like that sometimes, too. I'm used to it."

Billy, who looks like a soft echo of Tommy at first glance. Billy, whose silence Teddy suspects is less shy and more self-preserving, who apologizes for his passion a beat too slow, like he's been told in the past it doesn't matter, and is only now realizes how untrue that is.

Not an echo. Not a mirror or an opposite, just a boy Teddy can't help but stare at. Billy, whose warm laugh and clever eyes make Teddy's heart start to race. Billy, whose brother he is fake-dating. And who has no idea that this is all pretend.

He finds his voice again, and asks Tommy what he thinks their game tomorrow will be like. Safe topics. No surprises.

"Oh, I already said I'd parter with Eli, this time. Sorry, Billy."

He just has to keep his distance. It's just a crush. It will go away soon enough.

The next meeting, he sits on Tommy's far side, pretending not to see the space left for him between the twins. He avoids both Tommy's questioning glance and the surprise on Billy's face. Is that hurt? Relief?

Billy partners with Sophia for the readings.

"I have to study," he tells Tommy. "Can we postpone the date this week?"

"Yeah, sure." And, because Tommy sucks at minding his own business, "Is something up? You're acting fucking weird."

"Stressed," is the only answer he can give. Coach pulled him aside earlier to ask the same thing, so he should probably try to fit some extra practice into his weekend too…

Tommy tests him on Sunday asking if he wants to meet at the school and shoot hoops. Teddy, feeling trapped in his own skin an in the walls of his small, empty again 'I'm-sorry-babe-it's-crunch-time-but-we'll-go-camping-for-a-weekend-once-it-calms-down-I-promise' apartment, takes him up on it.

They don't talk much beyond a 'hello' at first. There's a tension in the air between them, one that starts to fall apart as they start to sweat. By the time Teddy stops to grab some water, it's almost gone. Like they're just teammates, buddies. Nothing complicated at all.

Teddy definitely doesn't think about what Billy might look like, sweaty but triumphant like Tommy is. The thought of what might be different for Billy is somehow much more distracting than anything actually in front of him.

Tommy waits until he's mid drink before attacking.

"We gotta talk."

Teddy almost chokes on his water. "What? Why?"

This earns him an eye roll. "Don't play dumb, Altman." Which is rich, coming from him. Teddy had witnessed him pretend to not understand a concept Billy was trying to explain (something from a comic plot, he'd wanted to ask the name but didn't want to interrupt, having come late to their lunch table) for almost thirty minutes, until Billy was beyond frustrated and Tommy was openly cackling.

"I would really rather just keep playing."

"Fine." Tommy shoves the ball at him. "You need to work on your free throws. You miss, you give me an honest answer."

Teddy's well of patience has just about run dry. He scowls at Tommy, who smirks back.

"Wow, look, he's not perfect."

"Shut up."

He makes the first shot. So does Tommy. HI second bounces off the rim, and Tommy doesn't waste a moment.

"Are you avoiding me?"

"Kind of."

Tommy's shot goes in. His own is way off.

"Why?"

"Stressed, I guess."

"You've said that already."

"It's still true."

Tommy misses, and Teddy takes the chance to even the playing field.

"Why did you ask me to date you."

"To help a friend, remember?"

"Yeah. It's been over a month. Don't you think I deserve a better explanation?"

"Not if you keep missing."

Shot. Point. Shot. Point. Teddy doesn't think either of them have ever shot this well.

Tommy misses next.

"What friend?"

"Dude, are you asking me to out someone?" Tommy's shifting his weight like he wants to bolt. "That's fucked up."

Fair. Teddy switches gears. "Do you regret it?"

Tommy had gone to his locker on Friday to find a newly-scrawled 'fag' right over the lock. For a moment Teddy had thought he was going to throw in the towel right then and there.

"No, I don't."

Teddy's shot goes wide.

"Do you regret it?"

Teddy thinks of Karolina's smile, the freshman that had come to the meeting last week, the new pride button on America's jacket.

"No."

Tommy is better at this than him. When his next shot fails to find the backboard at all, Tommy asks "Why did you say yes?"

This makes Teddy pause. How much to say?

"I was tired of not saying anything."

His turn.

"How long did you plan on it going on?"

"I… hadn't thought that far ahead." Shocking. "Why? Do you want to stop?"

"Hey," says Teddy, aiming to lighten the mood. "You can't ask your question before I've even taken the shot."

He makes it, but answers anyway.

"I think we can probably start thinking about how we want to end it? But we should wait until the GSA has a few more members."

Tommy is tossing the ball from hand to hand quicker than Teddy cares to follow. "Yeah. Makes sense. Will you keep going?"

Teddy nods, and gets a nod in return.

"Good. Me too."

The questions game is abandoned as Teddy smacks the ball from Tommy's hands, making his way towards the basket for a layup. He's taller, but Tommy's significantly faster. One the court, at the very least, they're the perfect pair.

"Tommy!"

Tommy stops mid-pivot to look at who's calling him, and Teddy follows suit. It's Billy, standing by their bags with Tommy's phone in his hand. Teddy wonders how long he's been watching.

"Baby brother!" Tommy shouts. "Do you wanna play too?"

Billy makes a face. "We don't even know for sure that you're the older one. Do you ever check your phone?"

"Oh, we know." He goes to grab his phone back from his brother. "I told her where we'd be."

"Yeah, but you've been gone for hours. Sunday is family dinner night," he tells Teddy, the first words he's directed at him in what must be a week. "Mandatory bonding time. That kind of stability is good for our fragile teenage sensibilities."

Billy seems larger, outside of school. Dusk is a good time for him, too. He looks absolutely beautiful, and it makes Teddy's answer come a beat too slow.

"That sounds very important. I don't want to be responsible for Tommy's sensibilities."

Tommy shoves him, laughing. "Shut up, Altman. You leave your mom cutesy post it notes on the fridge.

Teddy doesn't deny it. He should say goodbye and start making his way home, really, but Billy turns to him and he feels stuck in his gaze.

"You should come. To dinner, I mean."

Tommy's body goes tense beside him, as his mind grinds to a halt.

"Billy, what the fuck."

"Mom's been asking to meet you for weeks."

"Teddy does not want to come to family dinner-"

"Maybe next time?" Teddy offers, before he can really think it through. "I said I'd make dinner for my mom tonight, but maybe next week?"

"Okay. I'll let Mom know."

Tommy groans. "I can't believe you just invited my boyfriend to dinner. We're twins, Billy, but we're not that close."

Billy scowls at his brother, cheeks going red. "I wouldn't have had to if you'd done it when Mom asked!"

Tommy turns to Teddy, who's trying to discreetly grab his bag and pull on a sweater. "Do you wanna just trade places tonight? Having an overbearing brother could be good for you."

"Fuck off, Tommy." The heat in Billy's voice surprises all of them. So too does his angry exit. Tommy watches him go with wide eyes, and Teddy sees real panic in them, just for a moment.

"He's probably just grumpy," Teddy tries to comfort him. "You said he's been having a rough time, yeah?"

"Yeah," Tommy replies. "I've gotta catch up to him. See you tomorrow."

Then he's running after his twin, leaving Teddy with the ball and the feeling that he's in the middle of a puzzle with half the pieces missing.


	5. Chapter 5

The next meeting, they're visited by royalty.

Kate Bishop is standing there, talking to Karolina, looking way too put together for a high schooler. She's on student counsel, and the track and field team, and there's rumours she helps out at a soup kitchen on weekends. Kate Bishop is not real, is what Teddy's getting at, and surely she's too busy to be here.

"Hey everyone!" Karolina is practically glowing. "I know we were supposed to continue our talk about connecting with other local GSAs, but an opportunity has come up, so we're going to change gears a bit. But first, a name and pronoun circle!"

Kate actually looks a little nervous, but she stares at each person as they speak, obviously making mental notes. There's just over a dozen of them now, with Kate. It's exciting. It really feels like they're here to stay. America leaves her headphones off, their official secretary now. Her eyes keep flickering over to the pretty blonde with the lip piercings, who's new this week and introduces herself as Lisa. Xavi lets himself relax a little more with each meeting. Teddy can't help but wonder at how his eyes follow Karolina. Crushing on someone who isn't into you, can't be in to you, is definitely not unfamiliar territory for Teddy. But what's interesting is how Karolina repays the compliment. She blushes, she leans against him when they're sitting next to each other.

 _None of your business,_ Teddy tells himself. He's looking for people to look at so he doesn't have to look at Billy.

It seems like suddenly everyone's looking (or pointedly _not looking_ ) at someone in the room.

Kate is a good safe alternative to stare at.

She rounds out the circle with an introduction like they don't all know exactly who she is, and then with a nod of encouragement from Karolina, she stands and clears her throat.

"So, you might know that I'm on the student counsel. We've just started working on our plans for the spring dance, tossing around ideas for themes, and someone brought up you guys." She makes a face. "You all. Sorry, I'm new at this."

Teddy swears that the room brightens at her correction. Tong, the club's only freshman, who had introduced themselves with they/them pronouns for the first time today, is beaming. Kate must feel the shift, because she looks a little more confident as she continues.

"Anyway, we want to partner with you for the event. We'll do most of the heavy lifting still, of course. We don't want to throw you too much too soon. But we want your help with it, and we want to put your name on every poster for it." She grins, and Teddy gets why most of the boys (and some of the girls, if the whispers at the beginnings of meetings are to be believed) in school are at least a little in love with her. "We want to call it a diversity dance. It won't affect tickets, because this school loves its dances, and it might force some of the students to deal with their issues. We also want to add some vocabulary on posters as part of the decorations, if you all think that's a good idea?"

Tommy reaches over and squeezes Teddy's arm. This. This is amazing. This is huge, so much more than anything Teddy thought he'd see happen in these halls any time soon.

"Now, there is a bit of concern regarding the spotlight this could throw on you all, so if you don't want to take such a visible role on, that's totally fine-"

An explosion of protests from multiple people interrupt her, and Kate laughs, holds up her hands.

"Okay, okay! I figured you were all already getting heat by coming in here at all, so it's good to see you're all excited about this." She glances over at Karolina. "Can I take that as a yes?"

Karolina looks around their circle. "All those in favour?"

Every single hand goes up.

Karolina claps her hands, and a few mimic her a beat late. "Excellent! Thank you so much, Kate!"

"Thank you," Kate replies. "I'll be back next week with more of a concrete plan regarding responsibilities, then."

She moves to leave, but Karolina grabs her arm, and people are talking but Teddy's caught on Karolina's rainbow nails against Kate's dark purple sleeve, how Karolina grabbed Kate to get her to stay but Tommy grabbed him because he can leave, and it makes him feel strangely desolate, like his stomach's gone and dropped out and everything inside him is echoing now. He will not cry over a relationship that wasn't even real, not even when it's the best relationship he's ever been in. They should break up before the dance, in case Tommy has someone he actually wants to take. It's the right thing to do.

Teddy feels sick.

"I've gotta go finish up some homework," he mutters. "I'll see you all next week."

He shoves his hands deep in his pockets and stands as straight as he knows as he exits, feeling eyes he assumes belong to Tommy on his back as he leaves.

He'll be fine. He's always fine. He doesn't really know how to be anything but fine, so fine he will be.

Tommy finds him as school ends, and Teddy knows better than to try to avoid him, at this point.

"Hey babe," he says, before Tommy can get anything out. "Do you want to come over tonight?"

It's not technically date night, but Teddy wants to get this conversation over with. Tommy plays along, smirking and saying he'll see him tonight then, leaving him with a wink. Teddy turns and walks in the opposite direction, mostly just to do it. Instead of heading straight home, he takes a wandering route to the train, staring at his shoes and the spot wearing thin in the toe, losing himself to the rhythm of his steps and the music pounding through his headphones.

He doesn't notice someone is calling his name until there's a tap on his shoulder.

He turns around, tugging one headphone from his ear, and blinks down at Billy Kaplan's face as embarrassingly loud pop-punk blasts from his dangling earbud.

"Hey," says Billy, and as always his voice is louder when it's not inside their school. "Are you okay? You look..." He trails off, and Teddy gets it. He's not sure how he feels.

"Just taking a short cut," he says, and then mentally berates himself, because Billy probably knows at least vaguely where he lives, what with Tommy coming over so often.

"Short cuts make long delays." Billy smiles at him, like quoting Lord of the Rings is no big deal, like it's something he does casually on a day to day basis. It probably is. To his horror, this is enough to make Teddy's cheeks heat.

"Haven't even found any mushrooms," he replies, and Billy's smile widens. Teddy feels a little more grounded, looking at him, and then feels guilty about it.

"You're alright, though? You're not fighting with my brother, are you?"

Teddy makes a face, because that is the last thing he wants Billy to think. "No, nothing like that. Don't worry, you're not breaking any twin pact by talking to me, I promise. I don't need the shovel talk."

Billy laughs. "If you were fighting, I'd probably assume it was Tommy's fault anyway."

That strikes Teddy as a little unfair. Tommy's been the good one in all this. He's the straight one pretending to be his boyfriend to help some unknown friend, he's not the one falling for someone else and putting the whole operation in jeopardy.

Shit. That's the first time he's really admitted to himself that's what's happening. He's kinda sorta maybe against his will falling for his fake boyfriend's brother. And falling hard, if the burn of his lingering blush is any indication.

"Nah, Tommy's great. Really," Teddy gets out.

Billy looks surprised. Surprised and appreciative.

"He is. Not everyone realizes that."

"Their loss."

"Yeah."

There's an awkward moment, where Teddy is trying to look everywhere but at Billy's bright eyes and genuine smile. The music is still spilling out of his earbuds, filling up the space between them with some sappy love song that is so not helping things right now. He notices things in spite of himself. How Billy stands up straighter, out here. How his hand around the strap of his backpack is relaxed, not clenched into a fist.

Billy is more real out here. And it's quickly becoming too much for Teddy to deal with right now.

"Speaking of Tommy, I've got to go. We have a date tonight."

Billy blinks, and takes a step backwards. Teddy hadn't realized how close they had gotten.

"Right! Yeah. Have fun, then. Yes."

And he's off again. Teddy watches him go, remembers Tommy watching him leave the meeting, and feels another wave of guilt roll over him. Bad. He's being a bad fake boyfriend.

He lets his shortcut lead him to the supermarket. Maybe he can make this guilt go away with some really good food. Yeah. That will help.

Tommy walks in without knocking, making himself known by the loud thump of his bag hitting the floor by the door. He heads straight to the kitchen to toss some soda into the fridge before resuming his post on top of the counter. Tonight is rice and stir-fry, complete with tofu because his mom's on a vegetarian kick and he wants her to have dinner when she gets home too. Tommy makes a face at the tofu, which is to be expected, but doesn't complain out loud. They had that conversation a few weeks ago already, and Tommy only picks repeat arguments when he finds them fun.

"You alright? You left the meeting today so suddenly."

"Everyone keeps asking me that today," Teddy says, trying to sound casual as he throws some soy sauce on the tofu and puts them into the oven. "I'm beginning to think I shouldn't be, the way everyone's acting."

Tommy rolls his eyes and grabs a piece of broccoli right out of the frying pan, not seeming to care that it is hot as he pops it into his mouth. "Fine. Why'd you leave, then?"

Teddy sidesteps the question. "We should break up before the dance."

"Before? I was thinking it would be the perfect place to break up. People always break up at dances."

"Yeah, but won't it look bad? The... token gay couple, falling apart at the dance that we're helping put on. And besides, maybe you want to take an actual date to the dance."

Tommy gives him a strange look. "Where'd that come from, Altman? Do you have a special someone you want to take to the dance?"

He doesn't think about Billy. He doesn't.

"No. I just know this isn't... this is less important to you than to me-"

"Hey, just because I'm not-" he stumbles on the word, which stands out to Teddy. "That has nothing to do with how important this is to me. This was my idea. It's very important."

"Sorry."

Tommy busies his hands with stealing a piece of carrot. "And maybe it's important to me for the same reason too."

Teddy actually freezes with his hand in the fridge, inches away from the hot sauce he was looking for, but suddenly that's not at all important. He turns around and stares at Tommy. "Are you saying you're...?"

"Maybe? I don't know!" Tommy hops off the counter so he can go to the living room, where he starts to pace. "I'm not suddenly gay or anything, I just think that maybe I don't just like girls. Maybe! Maybe not. I'm not sure, okay, so don't go throwing any self help books at me, okay?"

"I won't! I wouldn't." Teddy follows him into the living room, dinner temporarily forgotten. "I wouldn't do that. I'm just... here. If you need support, or anything."

"Or anything?" Tommy pauses long enough to shoot a suggestive face Teddy's direction, and Teddy takes a step back, because no, that would be... That wouldn't be fair, to Tommy or to Billy or to himself. He struggles to find the words to explain himself but Tommy's already moving again with a laugh.

"Don't worry, I don't like you that way. That I know. So this doesn't have to get weird."

"Weirder than it already is." Teddy can't help but say. "Weirder than comforting your fake boyfriend about being maybe not fake gay."

"Maybe not fake bisexual!" Tommy says quickly. "If anything. Maybe."

"Maybe."

They stare at each other for a moment before the reality of their bizarre situation hits them, and then they're both laughing, laughing hard enough that Teddy thinks he might be crying, and Tommy's a ball in the middle of the living room, doubled up from his cackling, and then they have to rush to save their burning dinner, and the whole thing slips back into something comfortable.

However they break up, whenever they do it, they've got to do it in a way where they can still realistically be friends afterwards, Teddy thinks, as Tommy fills him in on what he missed after he left the meeting. He doesn't want to lose this to their fake drama.

Of course, Tommy ruins the night with his parting words.

"Don't forget, you're coming to family dinner this week! Billy already told Mom, so you can't bail or I won't hear the end of it."

All the ease that Teddy had gained over the course of the night disappears at once. Dinner. With the Kaplans. Of course.

"I hate you," is all he says, before Tommy flips him off with a grin and closes the door behind him.

Cue the panic.


End file.
